Imrainai figures that, as in all stories, there are many many many things that happened before it was time for the main action of this one to begin. Probably Parael learned something; ancestors know who she learned it from. What Imrainai knows, though, is that Parael finds her in the main work crew living quarters one day, at the tail end of a story. She has a favor to ask. Before Imrainai can ask what it is, Parael has presented her with a piece of paper. At first she thinks it's the stuff they have on Earth, but no, it's a surface made from lots of tiny medication slips glued together.

She also has a pen. A real one, not a piece of plastic with printer toner on it.

"I need a circle with some words inside. I would draw it but I can't actually see. And the material's fragile, I don't want to tear it."

She doesn't know what this is for and kind of wants to get Mathrael to see if it's OK - nobody on this ship has said they can't have paper, but it's best not to do anything that might later be counted as troublemaking. Mathrael is on a shift right now, though, and Parael seems very serious about this.

She painstakingly writes out the words I summon a demon, in Confederate One, over the course of a couple minutes. Some of the children cluster around her to stare. She draws a circle around her words.

He's greeted by three humans and what looks like a rounded, floating fish tank with a giant barnacle in it.

"Greetings, Atriama," says the giant barnacle, by means of a computerized vocal interface. The giant barnacle's tank also has a screen on it that helpfully displays its words in English, just in case the person being spoken to is hard of hearing. "I apologize for asking you to come to us. We are somewhat unused to movement, and therefore sometimes impaired."

"It is not terribly safe at this time. My colleagues are discussing their circumstances through other channels, but it would be helpful to hear your version of events as soon as is reasonably possible."

"The short version is, I was brought aboard the Alteri ship, attempted to talk to them about what to do next, and was promptly blown into space with all these people who were fortunately already wearing biosuits, whereupon I made this shuttle and headed Earthward; you presumably have access to information about my communications therewith."

"We have rooms here. I don't think we have any relevantly open space apart from perhaps the lot and the roof."

"The thought among the people talking things out is that it would be best if you didn't leave Carthon territory until this is settled," says one of the humans, a youngish-looking woman with a headscarf. "Unfortunately the Carthons don't have very much in the way of territory."

"We have twelve, two beds each. If you have a lot more than a few dozen then I guess we can tile one of the meeting rooms with sleeping bags?" says the one in the headscarf. "It's not comfy but it'll be short-term anyway."

"I'll convey this, back in a bit." He almost said "minute" but it might take five and perhaps that would offend the barnacles. He goes back into the ship. "They have twenty-four beds; I may be able to augment their furniture situation and we can spill over into meeting rooms. Are you guys up for disembarking and being put up in their building?"

"I worry that immediate construction projects might alarm observers. She can be flown to a different embassy within a few hours, if you believe it is important for her to be separated from the others."